Automatic signal mailbox



June 7; 1949. R. CARTER 2,472,192

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL MAILBOX Filed Jan. 20, 1948 /4 9 1 W INVENTOR.

Ede/ 7 Car/er BY ATTORNEYJ Patented June 7,4949

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SIGNAL MAILBOX Robert Carter, Johnstown, Pa. Application January 20, 1948, Serial No. 3,190

2 Claims.

This invention relates to mail boxes.

An object of the invention is the provision of a mail box that will not only prevent unauthorized persons from removing mail from the box, but for warning the occupants of a home that mail has been delivered, an alarm being operated by a movable letter receptacle when the receptacle is actuated to discharge the letters into a concealed compartment.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a mail box that will not only shift letters from a position adjacent an entrance slot to a remote compartment, but will warn the occupants of a home that mail has been delivered, a bell within the housing of the mail box being struck by a clapper fixed to a rotatable receptacle initially receiving the letters which are discharged into the remote compartment when said receptacle is partially revolved.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspective of my mail box.

Figure 2 is a front view in elevation of the mail box with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a receptacle for the initial reception of letters shown detached from the box.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l designates a housing having a front wall ll connected to a rear wall I2 by side walls l3 and a bottom l4. The rear wall has spaced bayonet slots [5 to receive screws l6 mounted on a fixed part of a building. Openings I 1 in said wall may receive nails or screws. The rear wall may be removably connected to the side walls by tongues I8 and bolts 19. In other words, the rear wall may be secured in position on the fixed part of the building and the side walls l3 together with the connected front wall and bottom, as a unit, may be attached to the rear wall by the tongues and bolts.

A curved top has flanges 2| at the lower peripheral edge resting on similarly-positioned flanges 22 at the upper periphery of the housing ID. The flanges are bolted or riveted together. Said top is provided with a horizontal entrance slot 23 in the front wall and said slot is normally closed by a hinged cover 24 having a lip 25 for raising or lowering said cover.

The front wall II is provided with a rectangular opening 26 at the lower end thereof for the removal of mail which has been discharged into a compartment 21 located above the bottom I4 and confined by the side walls, the rear wall and a door 28. The door is hinged at 29 on the front edge of the bottom of the housing. A look 30 secures the door against unauthorized entry.

A substantially semi-cylindrical receptacle has horizontally-aligned axles 36 projecting from circular end walls 31 which are adjacent semicircular side walls 38 of the top 20. These axles rest in bearings formed in the upper edges of the side walls l3. A crank 40 is secured to the projecting end of one axle for rotating the receptacle 35 for a purpose which will be presently explained. It will be noted from Figure 3 that the rear edge of the receptacle is adjacent a horizontal plane passing through the axles 36 while the front edge 42 is located sufiiciently above the plane that it will align with the lower edge of the slot 23 to insure the admission of letters directly to the receptacle. A stop 43 projecting from the inner face of the rear wall of the top 20 is adapted to be engaged by the rear edge 4| of the receptacle for maintaining the front edge 42 in alignment with the lower edge of the slot 23.

An alarm 45 in the form of a corrugated semicylindrical member, preferably made of brass or other bell metal, is secured at 46 to the top 20 and housed therein. A clapper or lug 41 in the form of a projection is carried by the receptacle 35 adjacent the front edge 42 so that when the receptacle is revolved by the crank 40, the corrugated portions of the bell will be struck, successively, by the clapper and thus warn the occupants of the building that mail has been deposited in the box.

The operation of my device is as follows: The mail is inserted through the slot 23 so that it will fall into the receptacle 35. The postman will turn the crank 40, whereby the receptacle will be revolved until the edge 42 engages the stop 43. Said receptacle will be turned over so that the mail will be discharged into the compartment 21 from which it cannot be withdrawn except through the opening 26 at the lower end of the front wall H. A key held by the owner of the box is employed for releasing the lock 30.

During the rotation of the receptacle, the lug 47, which acts as a clapper, will contact the corrugations of the bell 45 successively and thus sound an alarm to attract the occupants of the dwelling. The postman will return the crank 40 and likewise the receptacle to their normal positions and Will repeat the alarm, since the 3 lug 41 will strike the corrugations of the bell 45 in reverse order.

WhatIclaim:

1. A signal for a slotted mail box comprising a housing with a receptacle rotatably mounted therein and having means for manually rotating the receptacle, said signal including a closed arcuate top upon the housing, an arcuate and corrugated sonorous member secured at the intermediate portion thereof to theiinterior oi the arcuate top of'said housing with the'ends of said sonorous member directed downward and the latter being substantially concentric as a wholeto the axis of rotation of the receptacle andr a, 1

clapper secured upon one portion of said receptacle in effective position to be broughvsucoes sively against the corrugationsmfl-saii sonorous member upon rotation of said receptacle.

2. A signal for a a housing with a receptacle rotatably mounted therein and. having means-:for manually.- rotating the receptacle onva horizontal axis, -said- -.sig n,al including a closed arcuatetop upon; thehousing arched about. the "horizontal ,axis,i= an=t.-arcuate slotted mail box comprising.

sonorous member secured at the intermediate portion thereof to the upper concave interior portion of the arcuate top of said housing in a substantially concentric relation to the axis of rotation of the receptacle and transversely corrugated throughout the entire extent thereof in substantial parallelism to said horizontal axis, and a clapper secured upon one portion of said receptacle in effective position to be brought successively against ,the corrugationsiof said sonorous member upon rotation ofsaid receptacle.

ROBERT CARTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofc'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 455,373. Wesson-.- July {1,1891 763,975. Gray Julyqfi 1904 839,13'I.- Hahn Dec. 25,1906

1,316,023 Franklin Sept. l6 1919 

